ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Labour & Employment
EPFO payroll data: 11.55 lakh net subscribers added in October 2020
The provisional payroll data of EPFO has been released on 20th December, 2020. It reveals that EPFO has added 11.55 lakh net subscribers in the month of October, 2020. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, EPFO has added around 39.33 lakh subscribers during the current financial year . The data published comprises of members who have joined during the month and whose contribution has been received by EPFO for the wage month.
Year-on-year comparison shows that October, 2020 has registered a healthy 56% growth in terms of net payroll addition as compared to net subscriber growth of 7.39 lakh registered during the month of October 2019, indicating robust recovery to pre Covid-19 levels.
In the month of October 2020, around 7.15 lakh new members have joined EPFO and approximately 2.40 lakh members exited during October 2020. Roughly 6.80 lakh members exited and then rejoined EPFO, indicating switching of jobs by subscribers within the establishments covered by EPFO and subscribers choosing to retain membership by transferring funds rather than opting for final settlement. Exited members rejoining also indicate that workers are returning to their jobs with decline in active COVID-19 cases in India.
As has been historically the case, the maximum number of net subscriber additions for October 2020 has been from the 18-25 age-bracket, possibly due to the nature of the demographic profile in India. The 18-25 age-group members can be considered as fresh hands in the labor market and have contributed around 50% of the net subscriber additions for October 2020.
State-wise comparison of payroll figures shows that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana continue to remain at the forefront of the employment recovery cycle adding approximately 53% of total net payroll addition  in the first seven months period of current FY from April to October, 2020, across all the age groups.
Category-wise analysis of industry indicates that ‘expert services’ category has continued its recovery, adding 60% of the net payroll during the current financial year. However, performance in other industry classification such as building & construction, trading-commercial establishments, engineers & engineering contractors and electrical, mechanical & general engineering products indicate that recovery has started picking up in other sectors as well.
Gender-wise analysis shows that around 2.08 lakh net female subscribers were added during October 2020. Women contributed around 21% of the new subscribers for October 2020.
EPFO is a social security organisation providing various services to the members covered under the purview of EPF & MP Act, 1952 including therein provident fund, pension on retirement and family pension/insurance in case of untimely death of the member. The payroll data is provisional since updating of employee records is a continuous process and accordingly gets updated on a month on month basis.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
President of India to confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2023 tomorrow on 11 children for their exceptional achievement in six categories
Prime Minister to interact with the Awardees on 24th January
Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani to also interact with the children and congratulate them in the presence of MoS, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai
There are 6 boys and 5 girls among the Awardees belonging to 11 States and UTs
Each awardee of PMRBP to be given a medal, a cash prize of Rs.1 Lakh and a Certificate.
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2023 to 11 exceptional children in an award ceremony which will take place at Vigyan Bhawan tomorrow i.e. on 23rd January, 2023.
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will interact with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees on 24th January, 2023.
Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani will interact with the children and congratulate them for their exemplary performances in their respective categories in the gracious presence of Minister of State, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai on 24th January, 2023.
The Government of India confers the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar  award to children for their exceptional achievements. The awards are conferred upon children in the age group 5 – 18 years, for their excellence in six categories, viz. Art & Culture, Bravery, Innovation, Scholastic, Social Service and Sports, which deserve national recognition. Each awardee of PMRBP is given a medal, a cash prize of Rs.1 Lakh and a Certificate.
This year, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar will be conferred upon 11 children selected from all regions of the country for their exceptional achievement in the field of Art and Culture , Bravery , Innovation , Social Service , and Sports .
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Cash transfer of fertilizer subsidy
The Department of Fertilizers has implemented Direct Benefit Transfer  System across all States/UTs w.e.f. March, 2018. Under the DBT system, 100% subsidy on various fertilizer grades is released to the fertilizer companies, on the basis of actual sales made by the retailers to the beneficiaries through Point of Sale  devices installed at each retailer shop and the beneficiaries are identified through Aadhaar Card, Kishan Credit Card, Voter Identity Card etc. In the present model, Fertilizers are being sold at subsidized rates.
NITI Aayog has conducted an evaluation study of DBT in Fertilizers, through M/s Microsave and in the report published by M/s Microsave, it has been mentioned 95.5% of the farmers surveyed had individual bank accounts, only 36.4 % of the farmers said that, if given a choice, they would prefer Direct Cash Transfer  in Fertilizer subsidy.
The survey by M/s. Microsave is a sample survey, which is not a comprehensive one covering adequate number of potential beneficiaries. DoF is not aware of the Terms of Reference of the study nor the methodology adopted to conduct the survey.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri. D.V.Sadananda Gowda in Rajya Sabha today
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia Launches Digi Yatra for Three Airports in The Country
Digi Yatra to Achieve Contactless, Seamless Processing of Passengers at Airports Based on Facial Recognition Technology
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia today launched Digi Yatra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi for three airports in the country, namely New Delhi, Varanasi and Bengaluru. Digi Yatra is conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology .
Speaking about the Digi Yatra project conceived by Digi Yatra Foundation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Minister said that the project envisages a traveller today pass through various check points at the airports through a paperless and contactless processing using facial features to establish her identity which could be linked to the boarding pass. To use this facility, one-time registration on Digi Yatra app is required using Aadhar based validation and a self-image capture. The project has tremendous advantages of improving passenger convenience and ease of travel.
About the privacy features of the project, the Minister said that keeping in mind the privacy, there is no central storage of Personally Identifiable Information . Passenger’s ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet in the passenger’s smartphone itself. The uploaded data will utilise blockchain technology and all the data will be purged from the servers within 24 hours of use.
With Digi Yatra, India will now stand in the ranks of world class airports like Heathrow in London and Atlanta in United States of America. Elucidating on the benefits of Digi Yatra, the Minister stated the example of Dubai Airport where passenger time upto 40 percent was saved due to this technology. A similar technology saved nine minutes per aircraft time at the Atlanta Airport. The Minister also said that compared to other ports of call, the Indian system has been made far more seamless from entry to exit and therefore will be one of the most efficient systems from across the world.
Digi Yatra in the first phase, will be launched at 7 airports. However, it has been initially launched at 3 airports i.e., Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi today, to be followed by 4 airports namely Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada by March 2023. Later it would be implemented across various airports in the country. The service is presently being launched for domestic flights passengers only. Digi Yatra App is available on both IoS and android. It is voluntary is nature.
With Digi Yatra, India is setting a new global benchmark for a seamless, hassle free and health risk free process at airports.
Tweet about video explaining Digi Yatra :
Previous Press release on Digi Yatra can be seen here:
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1842408
Ministry of Steel
Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Sigh Exhorts NMDC to Enhance Exploration of Minerals using latest Technology and best Industry Practices
CSR activities in areas like education, skill development, health and employability must be increased manifold: Says Steel Minister
The Union Steel Minister, Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh exhorted National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.  to enhance exploration of minerals using the latest technology and best industry practices. During the visit to NMDC Head Office at Hyderabad today, Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh asked NMDC to continue peripheral development near the mines to support the neighboring communities, “CSR activities in areas like education, skill development, health and employability must be increased manifold”.
He also directed NMDC to make special efforts for welfare of girl children by providing training in livelihood activities like teaching, nursing, cooking, computers and housekeeping skills.
The Minister reviewed the production performance and future roadmap of India's mining major in the meeting with CMD Shri Sumit Deb, Functional Directors and Senior Management of the company.
Shri Sumit Deb apprised the Steel Minister with NMDC’s capacity enhancement and digital transformation projects underway. He said, “NMDC in its journey towards becoming a 100 MT miner will need ambitious expansion and investment strategy to dive head-on into building an iron-strong economy for India.” On the social commitment of NMDC, he ensured that, “From empowering women to upskilling youth, generating employment opportunities to addressing public health, NMDC has been a steady pillar in enabling progress in remote regions of the country.”
Ministry of Steel
National Mineral Development Corporation and CSIR Partner for R&D Projects
National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.  R&D Centre and CSIR-IMMT signed a MoU to pursue joint Research and Development projects. The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Sumit Deb, CMD, NMDC and Dr. S Basu, Director, CSIR-IMMT. The primary focus of the collaboration between NMDC and CSIR-IMMT will be the development of indigenous technology for making the Indian mineral industry self-reliant. The joint venture will utilize the vast knowledge and experience of CSIR-IMMT and NMDC R&D centre for research in the area of low & lean grade iron ore processing, beneficiation of coal, utilisation of mines waste, slurry transportation and recovery of Tungsten.
The MoU was signed by Shri S.K Chaurasiya, GM , NMDC and Dr Ashok Sahu, Chief Scientist & Head SPBD, CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneswar. Commenting on the occasion, CMD NMDC Shri Sumit Deb said, “While the Indian mining sector enters an era of self-reliance, NMDC is making investments to enhance the use of indigenous technology in mining. This collaboration with CSIR-IMMT is a significant step in that direction.”
Special Service and Features
Rs 2,033 crore allocated for Kerala for railway development in Union Budget : Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw
Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Rs 2,033 crore has been allocated for Kerala for railway development in Union Budget. He also said that India will have its first hydrogen train by December this year. He was addressing a press conference via video conferencing regarding the projects and allocations for the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget. In the Union Budget 2023-24, Rs 2,033 crore has been allocated for Kerala for railway development. During 2009-14, this was Rs 372 crore. Rail development is being implemented based on two main concepts namely Vande Metro and Hydrogen Train. Vande Metro train services will begin in Kerala to connect nearby cities which has less than 100 km distance. The Railway Minister also said that after a trial run of one-and-a-half year, it will be converted into a full-time service. The project aims at regional connectivity similar to Europe. He also said that Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the best performers in the One Station One Product scheme. The Union Minister informed that the allocation in this year's budget for Tamil Nadu rail development is Rs 6,080 crore.
Southern Railway General ManagerShri R N Singh said that, the budget allocation of 100.25 crore rupees for new railway line in Kerala have been allocated in the 2023-24 budget. He also said that, Rs 193.49 crores have been allocated in the budget for doubling of rail lines. The study of the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru rail line will be completed by September.He also said that the new Pampan Bridge will be operational by June 2023.
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Ministry of Railways
National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd.  opens technical bids for one of the biggest tenders covering 47% of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail  alignment and 4 stations
National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd.  opens technical bids for one of the biggest tenders covering 47% of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail alignment and 4 stations.
Technical bids for the design and construction of 237 km length of mainline for Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor were opened today.
This tender covers about 47% of total alignment of 508 km, between Vapi and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat. This includes four  stations namely Vapi, Billimora, Surat and Bharuch, 24 river and 30 road crossings.
This entire section is in Gujarat State where more than 83% of the land has been acquired for the project.
Total of three bidders involving 7  major infrastructural companies have participated in the competitive bidding.
Name of the bidders:
1: Afcons Infrastructure Limited – IRCON International Limited – JMC Projects India Ltd- Consortium
2: Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
3: NCC Limited – Tata Project Ltd.- J. Kumar Infra Projects Ltd. - HSR Consortium
The MAHSR project alone will create more than 90,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction of the project. Not just the employment market but production and manufacturing market are also expected to gain with the project. It is estimated that close to 75 lakh MT of cement, 21 lakh MT of steel, and 1.4 lakh MT of structural steel will be used in the construction and all of which shall be produced in India. In addition to this, large construction machinery is another market that will gain big time through the project.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves signing of the Definitive Agreement on Oil Storage and Management between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd  and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company  of UAE
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for signing of the Definitive Agreement on Oil Storage and Management between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd  and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company  of UAE.
According to the Agreement, the ADNOC will fill up 0.81 MMT or 5,860,000 million barrels of crude oil at ISPRL storage facility at Mangalore, Karnataka.
Out of the crude stored, some part will be used for commercial purpose of ADNOC, while a major part will be purely for strategic purposes. The signing of the Agreement will augment India's energy security.
India and UAE are strategic partners. The investment by ADNOC is a major investment from UAE under the High Level Task Force on Investment  and the first investment by UAE in India in the energy sector.
Ministry of Rural Development
DAY-NRLM promotes appropriate behaviours, health seeking and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among rural population through its network of Self Help Groups
The recent rapid surge in COVID-19 cases, including in tier 2 and 3 towns, requires immediate action to contain spread of the virus. Deendayal Antoyaday Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Ministry of Rural Development has initiated online trainings, in a cascading mode, for its vast network of over 69 lakh Self-Help Groups . This is to spread awareness through key messaging on COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 appropriate behaviours, health seeking behaviour and immunity building. The trainings were rolled out from 8th April, 2021 at the national level and will be followed by the ground level trainings of the SHG members. They are in continuation to earlier trainings on preventive measures against COVID-19 led by the Ministry of Rural Development in June, 2020. All master trainers and key staff of state, district and block level will be trained by national level resource persons and the trained master trainers will in turn train cluster level federation office bearers, social action committee members, Community Resource Persons  and Community Cadres. The trained CRPs will train all SHG members and other community members at village level. Key messages will further be disseminated by SHG leaders in the community through various mediums. These will include pamphlets, announcements, wall writings, rangolis and meetings in small groups with adherence to physical distancing norms. An online orientation was conducted 8th April’21 for state mission staff from 29 states and 5 union territories to facilitate this.
These training sessions include re-iteration of preventive measures/ behaviour against COVID-19 and promotion of information on accessing COVID-19 vaccines. Topics covered include information on COVID appropriate behaviour, the importance of vaccination, vaccination schedule, spacing between two doses for each vaccine, vaccine registration and certification. The sessions also aim to address the fears related to the side effects felt with both the vaccines. The sessions further address trust gaps towards the public health system, specific misconceptions against vaccination held by various religious and cultural groups as well as gender biases within the household which may lead to male members being given preference for receipt of the vaccine.
Specific health risks for age groups across the life-cycle are also being highlighted along with information on accessing health and nutrition services and available social security schemes. The need for continued consumption diverse diets, particularly through locally available nutritious foods are also emphasised to build immunity of the individual to better fight the disease.
APS/MG
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Ministry of Jal Shakti
Depletion of Ground Water Level
Since August, 2019, Government of India in partnership with States is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission  to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household of the country, by 2024.
The water sources inter alia which include groundwater , ancient & traditional surface water  and rain water stored in small tanks are being used as sources for drinking water supply schemes. Drinking Water being a State subject, it is States, who plan, design, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance. As such details of individual projects/ schemes for rural water supply projects including water source for scheme are not maintained at the Government of India level.
Under JJM, provisions have been made for drinking water source development/ strengthening/ augmentation; and infrastructure for bulk transfer of water, treatment and distribution systems in water deficit drought-prone and desert areas without dependable ground water sources, apart from creation of in-village water supply infrastructure.
In addition, provisions for taking up augmentation and strengthening of local & ancient drinking water sources in convergence with other schemes at village level viz. MGNREGS, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Rural Local Bodies , Integrated Watershed Management Programme , State schemes, District Mineral Development Fund, CSR funds, community contribution, etc. have also been envisaged under the JJM.
Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. For supplementing the efforts of the States, the Central Government has taken various steps for sustainable ground water management in the country. Details are available at:
http://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps_to_control_water_depletion_Feb2021.pdf
This Information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
AIR MARSHAL RAJESH KUMAR ANAND VSM TAKES OVER AS AIR OFFICER-IN- CHARGE ADMINISTRATION 
Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar Anand, Vishisht Seva Medal took over as Air Officer-in-Charge Administration  on 01 Jun 2023. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, the Air Marshal was commissioned in Administrative Branch of the Indian Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller on 13 Jun 1987. He has undergone the Higher Air Command Course from College of Air Warfare and Area Control Course from the Singapore Aviation Academy.
In a career spanning over 36 years, the Air Marshal has held various field and staff appointments. Prior to his present appointment, he was Director General  at Air Headquarters, New Delhi.
For his distinguished service, he was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2022 by the President of India.
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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Launch of Paperless Licensing for Petroleum Service Stations
To benefit more than 70,000 Petroleum Pump Owners; ease of doing business to Petroleum Pumps Owners
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade , Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched paperless licensing process through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation  for petroleum service stations  under the Petroleum Rules, 2002.
Paperless application and grant of license process for road tankers for transportation of petroleum under the Petroleum Rules has been launched on 7th January, 2020. After the launch of paperless process, more than 300 licences have been issued.
Taken together, licences for petroleum service stations and road tankers for transportation of petroleum account for more than 85% of total licences under the Petroleum Rules, 2002.
This initiative for petroleum pump licensing is directly going to benefit more than 70,000 petroleum pump owners and oil marketing companies under the Petroleum Rules, 2002. An added advantage of this move is that the authenticity of the license may be verified on PESO’s website https://peso.gov.in/index.aspx. This automation will greatly benefit the petroleum and gas industry.
This initiative is in line with the vision of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Digital India and Ease of Doing Business towards paperless and green India that will provide simpler mechanism, ease of living and business to the petroleum road tanker owners. The process will include filing the applications online, online payment of fees which will go directly to the concerned officer’s ID without any manual interface. Applicants, at each stage of processing of the application, will be intimated via SMS and email, in case of discrepancy or grant of license or approval. These details will also be reflected in the applicant’s profile. The entire process will not require any printing and physical dispatch of license. The license will be dispatched electronically.